Built-in refrigeration and food freezer construction



June 6, 1961 F. P. cRoTsER 2,986,900

BUILT-IN REFRIGERATION AND FOOD FREEZER CONSTRUCTION Filed Deo. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 am? j? Groer,

Eff?- @564% June 6, 1961 F. P. cRoTsER 2,986,900

BUILT-IN REFRIGERATION AND FOOD FREEZER CONSTRUCTION Filed Deo. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FJQ. 2,

Frank 1P Cm sgr, BY

June 6, 1961 F. P. cRoTsER 2,986,900

BUILT-1N REFRIGERATION AND FOOD FREEZER CONSTRUCTION Filed Deo. 27, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Fcmk 3? Croser,

ATTORA Y.

F. P. CROTSER June 6, 1961 BUILT-IN REFRIGERATION AND FOOD FREEZER CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Deo. 27, 1955 T.. N IC A M T FY B June 6, 1961 F. P. cRoTsER 2,986,900

BUILT-1N REFRIGERATION AND Noon FREEZER CONSTRUCTION Filed Deo. 27, 1955 5 sheets-sheet 5 TTOR Y.

nited States Patent C 2,986,900 BUILT-IN REFRIGERATION AND FODDv FREEZER 'CONSTRUCTION Frank P. Crotser, Adrian, Mich., nssignor to `Revco, Incorporated, Deerfield, lMich. Filed Dec. 27, 1955, Ser. No. 555,517 7 Claims. (Cl. 62-263) This invention relates to refrigeration, and it "has par- -ticular reference to a mechanical refrigerator or food freezer, which can be installed in a compartment or closet forming a part of the framing and finish of va dwelling, so that the 4front ofthe refrigerator or freezer is substantia'lly flush with the wall, and'the unit is in effect built into or recessed in such wall.

It has heretofore been proposed'to` provide a niche in the wall of a kitchen, into which could beset 'a refrigerator, so that the appliance would be more or less concealed by the walls ofthe niche. These proposals'have not been found satisfactory. When a refrigeration appliance --is `set loosely in aniche in the wall, there is 'a continuing accumulation of -dirt requiring the removal of the machine periodically for cleaning purposes. A tight fitting ofthe machine `is also disadvantageous, because it has been found that moisture condenses on the outer walls 'of the cabinet, causing conditions of mildew, odors, fand .deteriorationof the framing and floor.

`It has now been discoveredthat a -recessed or built-in unit may be provided, in which the machineV maybe sufficiently sealed inits compartment 'as'to reduce dirt accumulations to a minimum, and which accumulations may be removed 'from time 'totime'without difficutly, 'and wherein condensation ofmoisture fis precluded. 'These results may be obtained by providing a free 'air space 'around all walls of the cabinet, and `by .providing a sealing iframe around the outer or exposed 'surface of the cabinet, which fits snugly against the adjacent portions 'ofthe compartment wall. Additionally, the condenser yfor the refrigeration circuit is disposed'within the outer shell or wall of the-cabinet,where itis not exposed to dust accumulations, and where, in addition to itsusual function of liquefying compressed refrigerant, it has the additional `function of maintaining the cabinet walls at a temperature above room temperature, so that condensation cannot occur.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be madeapparent fromthe following description of atypical embodiment, Villustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a refrigerator disposed 'in a compartment formed `in a room wall, certain 'elements of the framing being shown ,in section;

FIG. 2 is a section taken substantially on 'thelline 2 2 of FIG. l., and looking from the rear of the .evaporator toward the door;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of a companion refrigerator, positioned below the refrigerator of FIG. 1 and hereinafter referred to as a food freezer;

FIG. 4 is yan enlarged fragmentary vertical section through the walls and doors of the refrigerator and freezer; and

FIG. 5 -is an exploded diagrammatic `perspective of the inner and outer shells of the freezer, showing .the condenser coil disposed over all five walls of the outer shell, and the evaporator disposed on .the outer wall-of the inner shell.

Home owners are now accustomed to low temperature refrigerators, 'wherein many foodstuffs may -be lstored at around zero degrees F. for an indefinite period, land which are commonly or popularly termed food freezers. Many people `now own an appliance of this type, :in addition to a mechanical refrigerator, in which a cabinet temperature ICE of around forty degrees F. issatisfactory. The drawings forming a part of this specification illustrate `anarrangement in which two units, one a refrigerator and the other a freezer, are recessed into a compartment formed in a wall of the building, and are disposed one abovethe other.

It will be readily apparent that only one of these unitsA thus forming a generally closed rectilinear compartimentv within which the refrigerating units 'are installed. Cleats 15 may be affixed to the side walls to receive support rails 16, 17, and 18 upon which the refrigerator R is mounted.

Similar cleats and rails 19 and `21 are framed into the compartment above the refrigerator, to provide a mounting platform for the compressor 2`21for the refrigerator. lt is to be noted that this is open framing; that is, 'the Various rails do not form a continuous surface, and the cleats and rails adjacent the wall 11 yare spacedther'efrom, so that there is free space all around the refrigerator, 'for iiow of air overall five sidesof the cabinet. A

The freezer 'F (FIG. 3) is mounted below the cleats '15 and rails 16, 17, and 18, again with free space there#` between, and it is supportediabove the iioor levlon and above a'fraine made of similar cleats 25 and rails 26. The' front wall 12 is cut back below the rails 26 to provide' toe space below the lower edge of the freezer `andin lfront of an open baseboard frame 27, in which is positioned *a detachable grille or duct 28, so that the region .below the freezer is Vaccessible for occasional cleaning. vLikewi`se, 'V there is a detachable grille o-r duct 29 above the refrigerator R and in front 'of its compressor. That'portio'n of the front of the compartment not occupied by the appliances may be blocked out with transverse mullions 31, 32, "35, so that, when the units are installed, the face of the wall 12 appears unbroken.

The compressor 35 for the yfreezer F is also mounted The cabinet of the refrigerator R comprises an outer tive-sided sheet metal shell 41 and an inner live-sidedshell or `liner 42, spaced from the outer shell, with insulating material 43 therebetween. The open front of the cabinet.

is colsed by a hinged door 44. Referring primarily yto FIG. 4, the outer shell 41 lhas welded to its open front edges a forwardly projectngsubframe 45 vhaving an outwardly turned flange 46 at its forward edge, and an -inwardly turned flange 47 -at its inner fend. This subframe extends continuously around the open margin of thef'cabinet. The .liner 42 is also provided with -a continuous outwardly projecting marginal ange 48,-disposed'a short distance inwardly of the subframe 45. Sea-ling material 49- ma be 'worked inthe joint between the shell 41 and the fia-nge 47 of the subframe to prevent the ingress of mois ture.

the inner face of va continuous resilient gasket 51, held in place by vplastic adhesive material 52, which firm-1y;

The ange 47 provides a shoulder or abutment for.

bonds the gasket to the shell, but which may be pried loose if the need should arise to replace the gasket. This gasket is formed with oppositely extending grooves or channels 53 and 54, the inner of which receives the outer rim of a curved continuons breaker strip 55 to form a seal therebetween. The inner margin of the breaker strip extends inwardly within the liner 42, and it is there retained by a continuous trim strip or molding 56 having spaced flanges 57 and 58 which snugly engage the breaker strip 55 to forma seal, and an outwardly projecting marginal ange 59 which is connected to the iiange 48 of the liner 42 by screws 61.

The outer channel 54 of the gasket 51 has tightly disposed therein an inwardly projecting continuous flange 62 of a finish frame 63, which projects outwardly around and slightly beyond the subframe 45. The outer portion of the finish frame 63 is bent to overlie the flange 46 and is again reversely bent to provide `a rim 64, having a continuous sealing strip 65 thereon, which abuts the adjacent surfaces of the wood work forming the front of the cabinet compartment. In assembly, the finish frame 63 and the breaker strip 55 are positioned in the gasket 51, the flange 47 is coated with adhesive, and the parts are then pushed toward the cabinet, the inner edge of the breaker strip being worked into the channel of the trim strip 56. If undue resistance is encountered, pressure may be applied by clamps placed around the outer surface of the finish frame 63 and the flange 46 of the subframe 45, so that the parts are drawn into their desired relation, and a tight seal is provided all around. Screws 66 passing through the finish frame 63 into the subframe 45 may be employed to retain the finish frame in position.

The door 44 is hinged to one vertical wall of the finish frame 63, and it has an inner pan 67 which retains the insulating material 43 and a continuous gasket 68 which abuts the gasket 51 when the door is closed, thereby providing an air-tight seal. After the cabinet is installed in its cubicle in the compartment, it may be retained by screws 69 passing through the finish frame and into the adjacent framing members for the compartment. This method of attachment not only secures the refrigerator in place, but it also provides a means for adjustment, as the screws 69 may be backed olf on one side and taken up on the other, so as to square the refrigerator properly.

Provision is made to support the refrigerator above the rails 16 and 17, and also to assure that the refrigerator is level. Internally threaded and imperforate sockets 71 are located at the corners of the bottom wall of the shell 41, and project into the space between the shell 41 and I iner 42, and are secured in any suitable manner, as by welding. Leveling gliders 72 are threaded into the sockets 71, and they are provided wtih relatively large heads 73 and lock nuts 74. It will be apparent that the gliders 72 may be adjusted to elevate the refrigerator above its supports to assure a free air space, and that they also may -be adjusted to bring the refrigerator into a level position. The large heads 73 provide adequate bearing area, and also facilitate sliding the refrigerator into the compartment.

The construction and framing of the cabinet for the freezer F is the same as that described for the refrigerator, and hence a repetition is not necessary. From inspection of FIG. 4, it will be apparent that its outer shell 76 may be the same size as the shell 41, while the inner liner 77 is somewhat smaller, and the amount of insulation is increased to meet the more severe demands of the lower temperatures at which the freezer is normally maintained. No attempt will be made to describe thek interior appointments of either unit, as these may be varied greatly, and the details of them form no part of this invention.

`As heretofore noted, the condensers of both the refrigerator and freezer are disposed along the inner surf face of the shells 41 and 77, and in substantially the same fashion as is illustrated in FIG. 5. A discharge line 81 from the compressor 22 or 35 extends through an opening 82 in a side wall of the shell 41 or 76, which opening is normally covered with a plate 83 (FIG. 3). The condenser begins with a loose loop 84 of tubing within the shell, which tubing is then progressively bent through sections 85, 86, 87 and 88 along the sides, bottom, and top of the shell, and thence through a series of convolutions along the top, sides, and back, and thence through additional convolutions over the bottom, and finally back to the opening 82. These various convolutions need not be numbered, as the pattern can be readily traced in the figure. All convolutions, except the terminal ends, are secured to the several walls of the shell, to maintain them in place and to provide for efficient heat transfer. It will be noted that the heat of the compressed refrigerant is given up to the walls of the shell over all sides thereof, and as the compressed refrigerant is above room temperature, the outer surface of the shell is also maintained at a comparable temperature, so that condensation of moisture will not occur. This is considered to be a salient feature of the invention, as one very serious source of difculty with prior recessed refrigerators is eliminated.

To continue with the refrigeration circuit for the freezer F, as shown in FIG. 5, the outlet end of the condenser 80 is connected by a line 89 to a strainer 91 which dis- 'l charges into a capillary tube 92, connected at its opposite end to the inlet 93 of an evaporator coil 94. This coil initially passes through a series of convolutions 95 in a.

shelf 96 within the liner 77, the last one of which leads to the exterior of the liner, and passes through an ad ditional series of convolutions 97 back and forth around the sides and back of the liner. The end convolution of this series terminates in an accumulator and drier 98 to which is connected a suction line 99 in heat exchange relation with the capillary 92, and which Ileads to they inlet port of the compressor 35.

A different form of evaporator is provided 4for the refrigerator R. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a plate 101 is supported by brackets 102 on the rear wall of the liner 42, and in slightly spaced relation thereto. The evapo rator comprises a serpentine coil 103 bonded to the rear surface of the plate 101, which coil is additionally retained by bars 104 and 105 which may be riveted to the` plate 101. The outlet end 106 of the refrigerator condenser 80 extends upwardly through the insulation 43 and through the -inner liner 42, for connection to a capillary tube 107 which terminates in the inlet end of the evaporator coil. The outlet end of the evaporator is con- A well 111 for the usual cold control (not shown) is also mounted on the plate 101. As the supply of electricity to the compressors and the control elements and lights in the cabinets is effected in a conventional manner, it is deemed unnecessary to describe these instru" mentalities. It may be noted that an electric supply line 112 leads to an outlet box `113 in the compartment, and is distributed through lines 114 to junction boxes 115 for the compressors. Branch lines 116 follow the course of the compressor discharge and suction lines to within the cabinets. The framing for the compartment may be notched where these lines pass along them, so as to retain the exterior portions of tubing and wiring in a safe position. The various exterior lines are flexible, and are made long enough so that they can be bent as required when the machines are installed.

It will thus be seen that the invention provides a re-l frigeration machine in which the storage cabinet may be recessed or built into a wall and a compartment behind.;

the wall, and which when installed presents to view only the door and a framing member around the door. Adequate air ow for cooling purposes is obtained, and the cabinet walls within the compartment are spaced from the walls of the compartment itself, so that each surface of the cabinet is contacted by the air. Each of these surfaces is moreover a part of the refrigerant condensing system, and condensation of moisture is thereby forestalled. The framing for the cabinet around its open face is such that there is only a slight projection of any part of the appliance into the room, and a tight seal is obtained between the face of the cabinet and the wall into which it is recessed.

While the invention has been described with respect to a single embodiment, it will be apparent that it is not limited thereto in its details, and accordingly it is intended that it should be accorded a scope to encompass all such variations and modifications as are covered by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A refrigeration cabinet adapted to be installed in an opening in an exposed wall of a room comprising an outer shell and an inner liner within the shell in spaced relation thereto, insulating material between the shell and liner, said cabinet having an open front accessible through the opening in said wall, a subframe connected to the shell at said open front and projecting outwardly therefrom, said subframe having an inturned ilange adjacent the margin of the shell and an outturned flange facing away from the open front, a sealing gasket positioned on the outer surface of the inturned flange, a breaker strip extending from the gasket to the margin of the inner liner, a finish frame disposed around the open front and projecting outwardly therefrom, said nish frame being positioned over the subframe and having a reversely bent portion overlying the outturned flange of the subframe, said reversely bent portion being adapted to engage around the wall delimiting the opening therein, connecting means for retaining the finish frame to the subframe and thereby to the cabinet, a door mounted on the fLnish frame to close the open front of the cabinet, a refrigerant condenser disposed within the outer shell and in thermal engagement with the walls thereof, a refrigerant evaporator within the cabinet, a connecting line between the condenser and evaporator, and refrigerant supply and suction lines respectively connected to the condenser and evaporator extending through the outer shell for connection to a refrigerant compressor.

2. A refrigeration cabinet adapted to be mounted within an enclosure in close spaced relationship thereto and adapted to be supported in said enclosure by cabinet supporting members integral with said enclosure, said cabinet comprising a metal shell, a liner disposed within the shell in spaced relation thereto, insulating material in the space between the shell and liner, and cabinet supporting means secured to said shell and arranged for engagement with said supporting members, said shell and liner having an open front adapted to be positioned in registry with an opening in said enclosure to provide access to the space within said liner, means to reduce the temperature within said liner whereby a temperature gradient is established between said liner and said shell,

and heat inducing means in thermal engagement with all walls of the shell to inhibit the reduction to the dew point of the temperature of the `air adjacent the outer surface of said shell.

3. A combination according to claim 2 including a conduit comprising a refrigerant condenser in thermal engagement with all walls of said shell which are adapted to be enclosed.

4. A refrigeration cabinet comprising a metal shell adapted to be mounted within an enclosure and adapted to be supported in said enclosure by cabinet supporting members integral with said enclosure, said shell having its side walls closely spaced from said enclosure to define air spaces of limited cross sectional area, cabinet supporting means secured to said shell and arranged for engagement with said supporting members, la liner disposed within the shell in spaced relation thereto, and insulating material in the space between the shell and liner, said shell and liner having an open front adapted to be positioned in registry with an opening in said enclosure to provide access to the -space within said liner, means to reduce the temperature within said liner whereby la temperature gradient is established between said liner and said shell, and means inducing heat over the side walls to inhibit the reduction to the dew point of the temperature of the air in said defined air spaces.

5. In combination a refrigeration cabinet shell, a liner disposed within said shell in spaced relation thereto, insulating material in the space between the shell and liner, an enclosure for said shell having an opening in its front wall, said shell and liner having an open front in registration with said open front of said enclosure, walls for said shell spaced from said enclosure on all sides thereof to define free air space therebetween, said front wall of said enclosure having an aperture below the shell and an aperture above the shell, both of said apertures being in communication with said free air space, means to reduce the temperature within said liner whereby a thermal gradient is established between said liner and said shell, and heat inducing means in contact with points distributed over each wall of said shell to inhibit the reduction to the dew point of the temperature of the air intermediate said enclosure and said shell.

6. A combination according to claim 5 wherein a refrigerant condenser is in thermal engagement over distributed regions of a plurality of shell walls to comprise the heating means for said walls.

7. A combination according to claim 2 including a conduit comprising a refrigerant condenser disposed Within and in thermal engagement with the interior surface of all walls of said shell which are adapted to be enclosed.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,441,410 Eustis Jan. 9, 1923 2,509,614 Phillip May 30, 1950 2,645,100 Bascom July 14, 1953 2,773,362 Scheitlin Dec. 11, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 789,392 France Aug. 19, 1935 

